Keystone: Waiting for Obama

March 15, 2013

President Barack Obama doesn't exactly sound like a guy who's ready to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline, and that's a big concern.

According to some who attended a meeting between Obama and House Republicans, Obama has yet to make a decision on the pipeline, which would move oil from Canada to refineries on the Gulf Coast.

Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., said Obama "said there were no permanent jobs, and that the oil will be put on ships and exported and that the only ones who are going to get wealthy are the Canadians." Plus,?Obama, said the number of jobs created by the pipeline are probably exaggerated. However, the president did say the pipeline's opponents are also exaggerating the project's potential harm to the environment, and that other methods of transporting the oil from western Canada's tar sands region would be worse for the environment than the pipeline.

The $7 billion project wouldn't pass through North Dakota, but would potentially allow crude oil from the Bakken region to be shipped to refineries instead of being moved by rail or truck, which would be of great benefit to the state.

The project has been subjected to intense scrutiny by government agencies, has been supported by politicians all along its route, has been redesigned to avoid sensitive areas near an important aquifer and a State Department environmental report said the project wouldn't cause significant damage to most resources along its route. All it needs is Obama's approval.